Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 462 i Deals On Wheels Australia

Vacuum tankers and fire trucks experienced the biggest year-on-year (YOY) increases in enquiries on Australia’s leading transport and machinery classifieds network in calendar year 2020, new data reveals. Almost 3,600 trucks – from beavertails to water carriers – are currently advertised for sale across the network comprising BusNews.com.au, Fullyloaded.com.au, OwnerDriver.com.au, TradeTrucks.com.au, TradeEarthmovers.com.au, TradeFarmMachinery.com and TradePlantEquipment.com.au. Off the back of a 19.28 per cent increase in enquiries and 13.11 per cent lift in searches across all truck types, enquiries on vacuum tankers jumped 600 per cent YOY, ahead of fire trucks (+228.57 per cent), cherry pickers (+175 per cent), hooklifts (+125 per cent), and beavertails (+120.83 per cent). Rounding out the top 10 were pantechs (+57.64 per cent), dual cabs (+47.06 per cent), concrete mixers (+42.13 per cent), refrigerated (+35.14 per…

The vast majority of trailer brands drew increased interest from buyers on Australia’s leading truck and machinery classifieds network in calendar year 2020, new data reveals. Leading the pack was Victoria-based Lucar (+900 per cent), followed by WA’s Bruce Rock Engineering (+700 per cent), Lusty EMS (+550 per cent), tipper manufacturer Shephard Transport Equipment (+450 per cent), and drop deck, low loader, tipper and tanker manufacturer Bullet Trailers (+250 per cent). Rounding out the top 10 were temperature-controlled trailer specialist FTE (+250 per cent), Freightmaster (+240 per cent), Howard Porter (+233.33 per cent), Northstar (+233.33 per cent), and Victorian-based Kennedy Trailers (233.33 per cent). Search & enquiry growth by trailer make (%)*…

A proven beast of a working truck The motivation behind a good restoration is often traced back to sentimental attachment. Resurrecting a piece of personal history. Creating a showpiece truck that will honour the hard work of years gone by. The opportunity to own an influential slice of mechanical history. Or something moving and inspirational. Every now and then though, you get a restoration project that serves two purposes. In the case of WMT’s impressive White Road Boss, it may be a testament to the past, being that it’s one of the company’s founding vehicles and rebuilding one is a great way to honour the company’s history. But the other purpose of this rebuild is simply to make money. This amazing tribute to the company’s origins is still hooking up…

This event remains the premier and largest earthmoving and construction expo in Australia Australia’s infrastructure projects are pushing ahead at a great pace; the latest news on the economy is good and reports are all positive across the earthmoving industry. Australia’s borders have reopened and life is starting to return to normal. Expo management has been busy working with the team at the Sydney Dragway to ensure the 2021 National Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo will be the best yet. With the upgrade of the Sydney Dragway, it is rapidly becoming the action epicentre of Sydney, as evidenced by the relocation by both the Speedway and the popular Summernats to this premier site. Exhibitors will be amazed to see the transformation of Sydney Dragway, which includes expansive new areas of…

Hyundai notched up the biggest year-on-year (YOY) growth in enquiries on Australia’s leading transport and machinery classifieds network in calendar year 2020, new data reveals. Off the back of a 18.96 per cent increase in enquiries across all truck brands, the Korean make experienced a 83.33 per cent jump in enquiries in the period, slightly ahead of Mercedes-Benz (+80.36 per cent), Mack (+40.72 per cent), Fuso (+34.48 per cent), and Hino (+34.23 per cent). Rounding out the top 10 were Scania (+26.19 per cent), Iveco (+21.11 per cent), Ford (+20 per cent), Isuzu (+19.11 per cent), and Freightliner (+18.9 per cent). Search & enquiry growth by truck make (%)*…

Well, here’s thanks that 2020 is behind us and we can look forward to getting the economic resurgence on in earnest – as much as the virus will allow. Certainly, 2020 Truck Industry Council (TIC) T-Mark commercial vehicle sales figures show fleets and other owners doing what they can to lay the groundwork for that. They also emphasise an economy looking to push through the pandemic, despite the challenges. The year ended on 34,476 units sold and it should be a surprise to regular readers that this is slap bang in the middle of 2016’s 32,964 and 2017’s 36,825. Of the December year-on-year (YOY) totals, it can be argued that the market is showing signs of a big year ahead. Last month came in at 3,478, up more than 200…

There's no harm in having a crack What better way to start off a huge 2021 than with a huge story? Quite literally, it doesn’t get much bigger than this. I’m not just talking about the size of the awesome trucks I got to shoot for this story or the size of the awesome load I got to see moved; I’m also talking about the huge lessons I learnt about myself during this story. I know right, I’m diverting your attention from some of the coolest Kenworths in Australia, including a rebuilt 2013 C509 workhorse, so I can waffle about my own self-reflection. I very rarely get to turn a story around and make it about me, so give me a little leeway here. Not that I need to ask,…

In those milder, less vexatious days before virus, vitriol and violence conspired to make America weird again, there was a trip in mid-2019 to Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) headquarters in Portland, Oregon. The main objective, obviously enough, was to see how much work Freightliner had done in preparing its Cascadia conventional for the Australian market prior to the truck’s launch here a few months later. Thankfully, like most trips to DTNA in Portland, 2019 also included a presentation at the full-scale wind tunnel – described by one wit as the ‘tunnel of shove’ – just across the road from head office. This is a truly impressive built-for-purpose facility designed entirely to determine the most efficient and practical aerodynamic shape for shoving through the air a full-size, road-going truck and…

Pantechs, pig trailers and curtain-siders experienced the biggest year-on-year (YOY) leap in enquiries on Australia’s leading truck and machinery classifieds network in calendar year 2020, new data reveals. Almost 1,900 trailers – from A-trailers to water tankers – are advertised for sale across the network comprising BusNews.com. au, Fullyloaded.com.au, OwnerDriver.com.au, TradeTrucks.com. au, TradeEarthmovers.com.au, TradeFarmMachinery.com and TradePlantEquipment.com.au. Off the back of a 19.13 per cent jump in total trailer enquiries in the period, pantechs registered an out-sized 1,050 per cent increase, ahead of pig trailers (+500 per cent), walking floor trailers (+166.67 per cent), logging trailers (+155 per cent), and grain trailers (+116.67 per cent). Rounding out the top 10 were refrigerated trailers (+100 per cent), tippers (+91.04 per cent), flat decks (+88.57 per cent), B-doubles (+77.78 per cent), and dog…

The 2020 Valvoline Truck of the Year Award marks the culmination of the third year of the highly-popular Truck of the Month feature in Owner//Driver. The team here at Owner//Driver has chosen the 12 finalists, but the responsibility of selecting the winner is now turned over to you – our valued readers. Among the nominees are some amazing trucks – so we don’t envy the job ahead of you! Read on to find out how to vote, and what you can win for your efforts! HOW IT WORKS To be eligible, trucks must have appeared as a Truck of the Month in Owner//Driver magazine over the past 12 months. The outright winner will be decided by popular vote – with the winner featured in the March 2021 issue of Owner//Driver…

There are new model trucks & trailers to be shown off How did you see in the New Year? Has there ever been one we’ve looked forward to more? Yet, it’s like none we have ever celebrated. Did you make a New Year’s resolution? How about ‘in 2021 I am not going to miss the Brisbane Truck Show’? For all the good intentions about giving up junk food, exercising more, spending more time with your partner/kids/mum/dog, this one is fully within your powers to pull together. We could talk about how good it’s going to be to catch up with colleagues, customers and mates in the flesh, but let’s look at this purely from a professional perspective. This is the biggest business-to-business event that will have taken place in Australia…

Iveco has new management right at the top and a new entrepreneurial outlook This time last year, Michael May was the head of Daimler Australia’s Mercedes-Benz truck and bus operations. A brand on the boil, kicking goals and much like the shrewd, mildmannered May, secure in success. From the outside looking in, it appeared a productive, comfortable, satisfying existence continuing to evolve on the back of a modern, efficient and increasingly popular line of trucks far removed from problems of earlier generations. And as director of Mercedes-Benz Truck & Bus, supported by capable people above and below on the corporate ladder, May’s engineering background and steady hand had played a major role in ensuring the new Benz models were tested and tailored to Australia’s unique demands. Sure, there was no…